The Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (MoTI) has advised that, as of April 26, 2017, the legal axle load limit for vehicles travelling across the Ten Mile (Fountain) Slide, on Highway 99, 16km north of Lillooet, has been increased to 90%.
Below is the April 26, 2017 update from MoTI:
- Weight restrictions at Ten Mile Slide were increased to 90% legal axle load earlier today
- Work on the reconstruction of Highway 99 was completed on April 20th, 2017
- Highway closures are no longer in effect and the highway has been restored to 2 lanes
- The Ministry’s engineers and surveyors will continue to monitor the movement rates and adjust the load restrictions and traffic operations as required
- Traffic operations will be updated and communicated through dynamic message signs (on both sides of the project) and on DriveBC
- The Ministry will continue ongoing monitoring to ensure highway operations are safe for the travelling public
- Safety is our top priority and MoTI and Xaxli’p continue to work closely together
There has been a weight restriction of 50% legal axle load since October 5, 2016, when that section of the road was restricted to single-lane alternating traffic after concerns raised about sudden slumping on the road.
On December 8, 2016, the provincial government committed $60 million to stabilizing the Ten Mile Slide.
Emergency stabilization work on the road was started in January and completed on April 20, 2017, when the road was re-opened to two way traffic.
A larger scale stabilization project and reconstruction of the highway is still to place. This component of the project is currently in detailed design, with the aim that construction will start in the summer of 2017. More information can be found at http://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/transportation/transportation-infrastructure/projects/highway-99-ten-mile-slide